Dinger's Aviation Pages
To find out more about the Spitfire....
If you want to find out more about the Spitfire the following resources are available...
Some Links
360 degree Spitfire cockpit at Harald Joergans photography website - Outstanding!
YouTube video - Spitfire Mk I to Mk 24
The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston in Kent UK.
National Museums of Scotland webpage on the Spitfire.
Video
"The First of the Few." The classic wartime film by Leslie Howard was available on DVD from Simply Home entertainment The catalogue number was 130527. The film was given away free as a DVD in the Daily Mail, and also in the Sunday Telegraph, (combined with "The Cruel Sea"). These copies can be picked up very cheaply on ebay. It sometimes crops up on YouTube, the latest incarnation can be viewed at this link. https://youtu.be/VAwDhNJtzYo
"The Spitfire Story" An 86 minute documentary from 1997 about the Spitfire and RJ Mitchell, written and narrated by William Woollard (of "Tomorrows World" fame). It has also been released as just "RJ Mitchell" and "Spitfire - The Life Story of RJ Mitchell". This is not without its faults, for example it overplays the line that the RAF and Air Ministry had no interest in the Spitfire prototype (this is nonsense, the Air Ministry latched onto the Spitfire early in its development and paid the full costs of the prototype). It also dwells on the myth that the Air Ministry was averse to monoplanes. However, it is the best documentary on RJ Mitchell available. It was released in the UK by various DVD publishers, the most common version being by Delta. Well woth looking out for on Ebay, musicmagpie or in charity shops. It sometimes gets shown on the "Talking Pictures" TV channel in the UK under the "RJ Mitchell" title.
"Spitfire" A documentary first shown in UK cinemas in 2018. It has some breathtaking aerial photography and some decent interviews with Spitfire pilots, however it does not tell you much about the technical side of the Spitfire or its development. ASIN: B07D544FP7
"The Battle of Britain." The 1969 recreation of the battle used almost all the available airworthy Spitfires to produce the spectacular air battles. It has been released as a "Special Edition" DVD with added documentaries - You also get the option to see the film with the original music score by William Walton. Production number 10001024 MZI.
Books
Spitfire books
"Spitfire - Portrait of a Legend" - By Leo McKinstry. This book has come in for some unfair criticism by pedantic pundits. The wrong serial number for the Spitfire prototype and a couple of uses of the wrong aeronautical terminology have been enough to elicit some acerbic reviews. This is a shame, since the journalist Leo McKinstry has pulled together some diverse and revealing sources to draw a picture of the Spitfire often at odds with the prevailing myths. The story of the struggle to get it into production and then keep it in production are particularly well told. In doing so it draws heavily on the works of CR Russell and Colin Sinnot (see below). Not many photographs, and mostly personalities rather than Spitfires. Published in 2008 by John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6875-6 (paperback) 978-1-84854-503-8 (ebook).
"The Decisive Duel - Spitfire Vs 109" by David Isby. I guess that the title of this book led a lot of aviation enthusiasts to buy it expecting a comprehensive technical comparison of the Spitfire and Bf109, together with lots of graphs of performance, to finally settle the "which is best" question. This is not that book. Instead, you get a well-written rundown of the development and combat history of both aircraft, with lots of quotes from combat pilots. It is good at putting both aircraft into context. Published first in 2012 by Little Brown. Paperback published in 2013 by Abacus Publishing, ISBN 978-0-349-12365-3
"Spitfire - A Very British Love Story" by John Nicol. I know a lot of aviation enthusiasts absolutely hate this book. It has virtually nothing to say about the technical aspects of the Spitfire and it seems to have been written to build up the myths of the Spitfire rather than be any sort of objective history. However, to be fair, Nicol does lay bear his objectives in the introduction to the book, and as a series of essays on the social history of the Spitfire, as it touched the lives of many people, it is not without merit. Published in 2018 by Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-5923-7 (paperback) 978-1-4711-5922-0 (ebook).
"Schneider Trophy To Spitfire - The Design Career Of R.J. Mitchell" by John Shelton - John Shelton examines Mitchell's 28 designs and recounts how each of his aircraft emerged in response to contemporary requirements and to prevailing design philosophies. Has some nice paintings of the subjects covered. First published by Haynes in 2008, ISBN 9781844255306.
"Beyond the Spitfire - The Unseen Designs of RJ Mitchell" by Ralph Peagram. This came out 8 years after John Shelton's book, it covers the unbuilt design projects rather than the ones that were actually built. As such, the two books compliment each other beautifully. It features some computer-generated colour images of some of the designs. First published by the History Press in 2016. ISBN 978 0 7509 6515 6.
"RJ Mitchell - World Famous Aircraft Designer" by Gordon Mitchell with many contributions by those who worked with RJ Mitchell and who flew his aircraft. ISBN 0 947750 053. Published by Nelson and Saunders.
"R.J. Mitchell, Schooldays to Spitfire" by Gordon Mitchell, it provides a lot of source material for all those interested in the life and Work of R.J. Mitchell. ISBN 0 7524 23223. Republished (2002) by Tempus Publishing Ltd.
"Spitfire-the History" by Morgan and Shacklady. The definitive technical book on the Spitfire, 656 large format pages. Lots of photos and diagrams. Published by Key publishing of Stamford Lincolnshire. ISBN 0-946219 48 6
"Spitfire Odyssey" by CR Russell. A memoir of starting work as a "handy lad" at the Supermarine Woolston Works in 1936, through the wartime bombings and work at dispersed production sites. It explodes many of the myths that have grown up about the bombing of Supermarine`s factories and the start of Spitfire production at Castle Bromwich. Published in 1985 by Kingfisher Railway Productions. ISBN: 0-946184-18-6
"Spitfire Postscript" by CR Russell, a follow-up to his earlier "Spitfire Odyssey" it fills in some gaps from the previous book but is a self-contained book in itself. Self-published by the author in 1994. ISBN 09524858 0.
"The Spitfire Story" by Alfred Price. A very important book on the Spitfire, the result of years of research. It was first published in 1982 and has been published numerous times since in both hardback and paperback. In 1995 a revised edition was released with some different photographs and additions and ammendments to the text. My edition is the 2003 Silverdale books version. ISBN 1-85605-702-X.
"Spitfire at War." edited by Alfred Price. The book consists of series of well-illustrated articles on different aspects of the Spitfire. Published by Ian Allan ltd in 1974. ISBN 0 7110 0560 5
"Birth of a Legend - the Spitfire" by Jeffrey Quill. A great book by the famous Spitfire test pilot. Published in 1986 by Quiller Press, ISBN 0907621 64 3. If you want a very condensed version of what he has to say about the Spitfire, with some great diagrams, then track down the September 1976 edition of Air International magazine which has a 12 page article by him called "Forty Years Famous".
"Spitfire - A Test Pilot's Story" by Jeffrey Quill. This remarkable autobiography throws great light onto the development of the Spitfire, from the prototype to the Spiteful. First published in 1983 a revised edition was printed in 1996. My copy (2001) from Crecy publishing in softback. ISBN 0-94755-472-6
"Wings of the Navy" by Capt Eric Brown. No one can write with more authority and technical insight than this outstanding Royal Navy test pilot. In a 20 page chapter on the Seafire you will learn more about the Spitfire at Sea than by trawling through a library of other books on the subject. Published by Airlife Publishing Ltd, ISBN 0 906393 87 6. Read about Eric Brown on Wikipedia by clicking on this LINK.
"The RAF and Aircraft Design 1923-1939" by Colin Sinnot. One for the enthusiast only, since it requires a lot of background knowledge to appreciate the content. This book casts new light on the RAF's role in specifying aircraft for its use. Until now it was largely accepted that the RAF was carried kicking and screaming into the monoplane era by the aircraft industry. This book paints a very different picture of an Air Staff exasperated at being presented with "old fashioned" biplanes by the aircraft manufacturers when they wanted radical, fast, well armed designs. The explanation of the concepts of "zone fighter" and "interceptor" are particularly eye opening. Published by Frank Cass ISBN 0 7146 5158 3.
"Building the Supermarine Spitfire - Speed in the Skies" by Mark A Chambers. A nicely presented book with large-format photos. The contents are a unique mixture of reports, many culled from archives in the USA. Likewise many of the photos are from American sources and have not been published before. There is quite a bit on the Schneider races. Overall an unusual American flavoured perspective on the Spitfire. First Published in 2016 by The History Press. ISBN: 978 0 7509 6146 2.
"Supermarine Spitfire" by Mike Spick, one of the Salamander "Classic Warplanes" series. These were a cheap series of books that recycled the colour profiles used in earlier Salamander titles. However the contents are okay and if you want a very inexpensive overview of the Spitfire it is worthwhile looking out for this in second-hand bookshops. Beware that the binding on these books was very bad and pages become detached very easily, so make sure it is all there! Published in 1990 by Salamander books. ISBN 0 86101 535 5
"Spitfire - The Combat History" by Robert Jackson . An interesting attempt to map the combat use of the Spitfire. The author covers the origins of the Spitfire and the Schneider Trophy before going on to dive deeper into the service use of the Spitfire. The coverage is a bit uneven, going into detail on some events but skipping over others. I found the 7 page chapter on the Spitfire's use in Australia particularly interesting, it's a topic that does not get much coverage in Spitfire literature. The tables of "order of battle" of Spitfire squadrons in the various theatres are also particularly useful. I know a few readers have found the title of the book to be a bit misleading, expecting "THE combat history" to be an exhaustive list of every combat the Spitfire was involved in, perhaps a better title would have been "A Combat Overview". Published by Airlife Publishing Ltd in 1995. ISBN 1 85310 514 7.
Photographs
"Spitfire - Flying Legend" by John Dibbs and Tony Holmes. A collection of fantastic colour photographs of surviving Spitfires together with overviews of the different marks and backgrounds to the individual aircraft featured. The enjoyment of the larger photos is somewhat spoilt by them being printed over adjacent pages. First published in 1996 by Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-210-5.
"Spitfire" by Jeremy Flack. Another collection of beautiful colour photos of surviving Spitfire "warbirds". Published in 1996 by the Promotional Reprint Company, ISBN 1 85648 329 0. The same author has produced three other books on the Spitfire: "Spitfire- The World's Most Famous Fighter", "Spitfire-The Legend Lives On" and "Spitfire- A Living Legend"
Battle of Britain books
"The Most Dangerous Enemy" by Stephen Bungay. A well presented book able to draw on all the research and the documents released in the last decades of the 20th Century. Published in 2000 by Aurum Press. ISBN 1 85410 721 6
"Fighter" by Len Deighton. The background and story of the Battle of Britain, it combines the technology, tactics and politics of the battle in one very readable book, albeit some parts of it are controversal and disputed by other authors. His description of events at Manston and the turning circle of the Spitfire and Bf109 are particularly contentious. First published by Triad Grafton in 1979, ISBN 0 586 21094 6.
"The Narrow Margin" by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster, first published in 1961, it was revised in later editions. A highly authoritative work in its time, it is well worth tracking down the illustrated edition first issued to coincide with the release of the "Battle of Britain" feature film in 1969. ISBN 09 002160 6.
"Battle of Britain" by Len Deighton. Lots of pictures and diagrams, produced as an illustrated follow-on to his earlier "Fighter". Published in 1980 by George Rainbird Ltd. ISBN 0 224 01826 4.
"The Battle of Britain" by John Frayn Turner. As a devotee of Douglas Bader, Mr Turner's books have always pushed the case for 12 Group's "Big Wing". Read this alongside other books on this list and make up your own mind. First published by Airlife Publishing Ltd in 1998.
"The Battle of Britain" no less than 11 authors contributed to this large-format "coffee-table" book. It is packed with pictures and diagrams but there is a lot of text as well. If your bookcase has room for only one book on the Battle of Britain make it this one. Published by Salamander in 1990 ISBN 1 85613 025 8.
"Strike from the Sky" by Alexander Mckee. A classic account of the battle first published in 1960 but updated and reissued for the 50th anniversary in 1990 by Grafton books, ISBN 0 586 21022 9. The book was published in an anthology in 1961 by Odhams press for distribution by mail-order book clubs. That version can be picked up for very little in second-hand book shops.
"Spitfire On My Tail - A View From The Other Side" by Ulrich Steinhilper and Peter Osborne. A German pilot's view of the Battle of Britain. Published by Independent books, Upton-on-seven, Worcs.ISBN-10 : 1872836003. ISBN-13 : 978-1872836003
"That Eternal Summer - Untold Stories From the Battle of Britain" by Ralph Barker. It includes a chapter on CA Dixon and his development of an incendiary bullet for the RAF. Published by Collins. ISBN 0 00 637543 X.
"Battle of Britain - A Day-By-Day Chronicle, 10th June 1940 to 31st October 1940" by Patrick Bishop. Told in broad brush-strokes with as much attention given to the "home-front" as the war in air. An interesting read. Published in 2009 by Quercus books. ISBN 13: 978 1 84724 984 5.
Schneider Trophy
I recommend reading an article "Dolittle wins in Baltimore" by Michael Gough in the November 2005 Edition of "Airpower" magazine. It concentrates on the 1925 race in Baltimore, but also gives a good overview of the whole Schneider Trophy story. It tells of the loss of the S4 in unprecedented detail and shows that there were many factors behind the loss of the S4 besides the possible aileron flutter usually given as the cause of the crash.
"Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931" by Derek N. James is a great resource for anyone interested in the Schneider Trophy. It has an excellent overview of the history of the competition along with appendices full of data. The bulk of the book is taken up with descriptions and histories of all the aircraft that took part in the race, along with projects that did not make it. Published by Fonthill media in 2015, ISBN 978-1-78155-418-0.
"The Schneider Trophy - The Mother of Invention" an article by Ralph Peagram in the October 2022 edition of Flypast magazine is a good short overview of the Schneider Trophy illustrated by some large format photos and excellent side-profile artwork.
The book "Schneider Trophy To Spitfire - The Design Career of R J Mitchell" by John Shelton listed above is also a good source of information on the Schneider Trophy.
